Store directory contents into text file in Windows

To store the directory contents with full path into a text file in Windows:
dir /s /b /o:N "Path" > "text filename"

Create a Matlab figure without any borders or box around the figure

set(gca,'visible','off')
    set(gca,'visible','off')
    set(gca,'xtick',[])
    set(gca,'ytick',[])
    set(h,'InvertHardcopy','off')
    box off

Expense splitter

I found a very nice website to calculate trip expenses shared among a group of people. The link is here. I like this website for its easy to use interface, ability to use without a login and ability to move around expenses to minimize number of transactions.

Xcopy command on Windows

I used xcopy today to copy merely the file structure of one directory without having to copy the files within the subdirectories. xcopy also has a number of other features for copying files, and it is cool that Windows comes preloaded with this function, without having to install a third-party application. The Windows help page for this utility is here.

Full screen figures in Matlab

When I make images of my results in Matlab for publication in papers or showing in presentations, I like to control the size and properties of my figure. However, Matlab does not do a very good job of displaying the images in the correct size while outputting the figures. This post gives an elegant solution to display Matlab figures in full screen mode, which is exactly what I want most of the times.

Baggage & Airlines

Airlines and baggage do not sound like an ideal couple. Here's a very nice post which details what to do in case you leave something on an airplane.

Windows XP Recovery CD + ISO Recorder

I wanted to start the Windows XP Recovery Console from a CD, but I did not have the original Windows XP installation CD, neither did I have the i386 folder in my Windows installation folder. I found that in order to create a bootable CD, the rc.iso can be downloaded from here. The *.iso file cannot be copied directly on to the CD, instead it has to be extracted and burnt on to a CD. Any standard CD burning software such as Nero or Roxio can be used to do this. In case any burning software is not available, a free software to burn *.iso files is ISO Recorder.
Once the boot CD is available, the steps to boot the computer using this CD are as follows:
1. As soon as the power button is pressed, press the F12 key to access the boot list. This is the order in which the BIOS uses devices to boot. Ensure that the CD-ROM is selected to be above the hard drive in the boot list. Insert the boot CD into the CD-ROM drive. Save changes and restart the machine.
2. The computer should now boot using the Windows XP Recovery CD. Once the recovery menu is reached, press R to select the "Repair with Recovery Console" option.
3. Select the Windows installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
4. Type the administrator password when you are prompted to do so. NOTE: If no administrator password exists, just press ENTER. This will provide access to the Windows XP Recovery Console.